Printing press rollers



March 7, 1961 Filed March l14, 1958 G. HANTSCHO TING PRESS RoLLERs 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 7, 1961 HANTscHo PRITING PRESS RoLLERs 5 Sheets-Sheerl 2 Filed March 14, 1958 vENToR VSCH TTo

March 7, 1961 G. HANTscHo PRINTING PRESS RoLLERs 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 14, 1958 l NVE NTOR $50,745 /V/v United States PRINTING PRESS ROLLERS George Hantscho, 19 Prospect Ave., Tuckahoe, N.

" Filed Mar. 14, 1958, Ser. No. 721,527 l 9 claims. (Crm1-415.1)

things, improved means for mounting exible printing plates on the surface of the roller and for aligning the plate relative to the roller.

In the printing art it is often necessary to superimpose impressions one upon the other, as in the case of multicolored work. In so doing, it is essential that the plates carried by the several printing rollers be aligned accurately one relative to the other. This alignment not only involves longitudinal alignment of the plate relative to the roller, but-alsol the angular adjustment of one end portion of the printing plate relative to the other so that all of the plates-are, in effect, in parallel relationship. If` one plate was skewed relative to the atento others, one edge ofthe skewed plate may be properly aligned with the other plates while-the other edge of the plate may be-substantially outiof alignment.

As pointed out in my prior application, lateral align- Another object of the invention resides in a novel and improved printing roller having means for the attachment of a peripheral printing plate andmeans for holding it in a 'snug position on the roller throughout the printing process. l

' Another object of the invention resides inthe provi# sion: offnovel and improved meanson a printing roller for holding and aligning a printing plate to correct for skew or diagonal errors.

A still further objectlof the invention resides in the provision of a novel and improved printing roller.

The above and other objects and advantages of the l invention will becomegmore apparent from the following description and l accompanying drawings forming part of this application. l i

In theaccompanying drawings:

Figurel is a` plan View in4 partial section of a roller t in'accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 isy a 1viewivof, a printing roller similar to `Figure 1 and. illustratingthe Yoperation of the rollerrfor skew correction; e Y Figure 3 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of Figure 1 taken along the lineVV 3-3 thereof;

u Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 3 taken along lthe line 4-4 thereof;

" Figure 5` is a cross-sectional View of Figure 3Y taken y along the line 5-7-5 thereof;

Patented Mar. 7, 1961 Figure 6 is a fragmentary end view of the roller of Figure l taken along the line 6-6 thereof;

Figure 7 is a side elevational View of one end of the roller in accordance with the invention;

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view of Figure 6 taken along the line 8 8 thereof;

`Figure 9 is a fragmentary, perspective view of one end of a roller in accordance withjthe invention with the printing plate holding and skew correcting means removed; and

Figure 10 is an exploded view of certain ofthe elements carried by the roller of Figure 9 for holding a printing plate and aligning it relative to the roller.

The roller in accordance with the invention is generally denoted by the numeral 10 and may be of any desired length and diameter. The roller further includes end shafts 11 for rotatably supporting the roller in a printing press and for the adjustment of the lateral position of the roller relative to the press. Theroller 10, as may be observed more clearly in Figure 9, includes a cutout portion 12 which extends throughout the length of the roller body. The cutout portion 12 has a flat bottom part 13, a first side wall 14 substantially at right angles to the bottom 13 and an inclined portion 15. Between the side wall 14 and inclined face 15 there is a rectangular groove 16 for slidably receiving one of the printing plate holding members. The opposite side of the base 13 has a downwardly formed rectangular channel portion 17 and a side wall or face 18 at right angles to the base 13 and extending upwardly to intersect the periphery of the roller 10.

Figure 10 of the drawings illustrates certain of the lelements which are contained within the elongated cutout or channel portion 12 of the roller. The first of these elements is generally denoted by the numeral 19 and for present purposes will be termed a ller block, inasmuch as it is xedly secured to the roller when the printing plate holder assembly is installed in the roller. This ller block has an upper surface 20 of a radius conforming with the radius of the roller when positioned thereon. The bottom 21 of the ller block 19 rests ush against the bottom 13 of the channel 12 with the downwardly extending rectangular rib or extension 22 engaging the rectangular channel 17` and the side wall 23 bearing firmly againstthe wall 18. The tller memvber is secured in place by any suitable means such as screws extending through openings 24 of the filler block and threadably engaging openings 25 in the roller. The outer edge of the filler block 19 is generally denoted by the numeral 26 and it is inclined at an angle roughly equal but opposite to the inclination of the surface 15 on the roller 10. Between the filler block 19 and the opposite wall of the cutout 12 there are inserted elements generally denoted by the numerals 27, 28 and 29, the latter being an elongated cam which cooperates with the elongated elements 27 and 28 when secured one to the other to shift the angular position of the elements 27 and 28 relative to the elongated cutout or channel 12 in the roller 10.

Referring now to Figures 1 through 5 of the drawings, and more specifically to Figure 3, the ller block 19 is shown in position on the roller 10 and is held in place by a plurality of cap screws 30. The elongated elements 27 and 28 are secured one to the other by a plurality of screws 31 which extend through openings 32 in the element 27 and threadably engage cooperating openings 33 in the elongated element 28. These two elements slidably engage the roller and filler block 19 and can be skewed in one direction or the other when in place, as shown in Figure 3. The elements are retained` rmly against the bottom 13 of the cutout portion 12 by engagement of a lateral rib portion 34 of the element 28 with the longitudinal channel 1'6 of the' roller and by engagement of the shoulder 35 with a cooperating shoulder 36 on the filler member 19.

The assembled elements 27 and 28 are urged to the right as shown n Figure 3 by means of a plurality of springs 37 positioned within openings 38 of the filler block 19. These springs are preferably spaced uniformly throughout the length of the ller block so that substantially uniform pressure will be applied to the elements 27 and 28 throughout their lengths.

In order to adjust the elements 27 and 28 angularly relative to the longitudinal axis of the roller, a cam element 29 is slidably disposed between the side wall 14 of the recess 12 and the surface 39 of the element 28. The surface 39 actually is in the form of aV cam which cooperates with the cam 29 so that as the latter is displaced axially it will tend to cause the elements 27 and 28 to be pivoted about a central point for displacement relative to the axis of the roller. This will be described more fully in connection with Figures 1 and 2.

The flexible printing plate generally denoted by the numeral 40 is held in place on the roller 10 by a reel rod generally denoted by the numeral 41. The rod 41 is positioned within the opening 42 defined by the inclined portions 27 and 28 of the elements 27 and 28, respectively. The upper ends of the members 27 and 28' `are disposed slightly below the periphery of the roller and their inclinations are approximately equal to the inclinations of their adjoining wall surfaces of the filler member 19 and the roller 10 The reel rod includes an elongated slot 41' into which the ends of the printing plate 40 are inserted. The ends of the reel rod 41 have reduced end portions 42 journalled in end plate 43 secured to the roller by bolts or other suitable means such as the screws 44, as shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. The outer ends of the shaft members 42 are provided with square shanks 45 or other suitable means for manually gripping the shaft with a wrench for rotation thereof. When the printing plate 40 is to be mounted on a roller, the elongated slot 41 is positioned in an upward direction as in Figure 3, so that the ends of the printing Vplate can be inserted into the slot. The reel rod is then rotated to the right as in Figure 3 to tighten the printing plate and wedge the end portions between the reel rod `41 and the member 28. In order to secure uniform pressure of the reel rod 41 against the printing plate ends, the element 27 is provided with a plurality of spaced angularly ldisposed openings 46 housing plungers 47 urged outwardly against the reel rod by springs 48.` The tension on the peripheral printing plate 40 is adjusted and maintained by an improved ratchet and pawl assembly that is illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8. While this assembly is shown on only one end of the roller, it is apparent that it may be utilized on both ends of the roller if desired. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention one shaft member 42 of the reel rod carries a ratchet member 49 that is secured to the shaft 42 by means of a key 50. The cooperating pawl S1 is carried by a lever 52 pivoted to the end plate 43 by means of a suitable pivot screw or pin 53. The right hand end of the lever as shown in Figure 6 carries the pawl 51 which includes la spring (not shown) urging the pawl into engagement with the cooperating ratchet 49. The left hand end of the lever 52 is generally denoted by the numeral54 and inclines downwardly to the left. AThe lever is provided with a bifuroated portion 55 having an opening 56 extending therethrough for receiving a rotatable pin 57. This pin has a threaded opening extending therethrough for threadably engaging a cooperating rod 58, as shown in Figure 6. The lower end of the rod extends through an opening 59 ina pin 60 fixed to the end plate 43. The opening 59 is somewhat larger than the diameter of the rod 58 vto allow.for angular movement of the rod in opening. The lower end of the rod l58 is provided with a spring 61 and a terminal nut 4 52'to hold the spring in place and tend to urge the rod in a downward direction as shown in Figure 6. A second nut 63 on the top side of the pin 60 limits the downward motion of the rod 58.

With the foregoing arrangement the printing plate is first secured on the roller by a hand operation engaging the squared portion 45. After adequate tension is applied by hand, the tension is finally adjusted by rotation of the threaded rod 58 by engaging the squared shank 58 on the outer end thereof with a suitable wrench. When the rod 58 is turned in one direction increased tension will be appliedto the printing` plate 40, while rotation of the rod in the other direction will relax the tension. The tension on the printing plate will be maintained throughout the printing process by means of the spring 61 with maximum displacement being ultimately limited by the position of the nut 63. The nut 63 also furnishes some indication of the amount of stretch of the plate 40 during the printing process.

After the printing plate 40 is in place on the roller as described above, the angular position or skew of the plate can be corrected by adjustment of the cam member 29, previously referred to. More specifically, and with reference to Figures 2 and 4, the cam 29 is provided with a series of inclined surfaces generally denoted by the numerals 64, 65, 66 and 67. It will be observed that the inclination of the surfaces 64 and 67 are equal and opposite. The inclination of the surfaces generally denoted by the numerals 65 and 66 are not as great as the inclinations of the surfaces 64 and 67 and they are also equal and opposite. The surface 39 of the element 28 has a cooperating cam portion with inclined surfaces denoted by the numeral 64 through 67'. These surfaces correspond generally in slope to their corresponding surfaces 64 through 67 of the cam 29. With this arrangement it will be observed, particularly with reference to Figure 4, that as the cam is moved to the right as shown in the figure, the left hand end of the element 28 will tend to move downwardly while the right hand end will be moved upwardly. When the cam 29 is moved to the left, the reverse action takes place. It is important to note that in mean or center position of the cam there are four spaced contact surfaces between the cam and the element 28 which provides uniform support for the structure formed by the elements 27 and 28 and prevents bending of this structure that may result in relaxing tension on the central portion of the printing plate 40.

Figures 1 and 2 show the displacement of this cam 29 and its effect on the position of the elements 27 and 28. Displacement of the cam 29 is elfected by a pair of screws 68 threadably engaging the end plates 43 and abutting the ends of the cam. By adjusting these screws Vthe cam can be Ydisplaced the degree desired in order to properly align or correct for skew error of the printing plate 40 on the roller 10. Lock nuts 69 may be provided on the screws 68 to hold them in position after adjustment has been accomplished.

From the foregoing description it is evident that the apparatus in accordance with the invention provides a practical, dependable and highly versatile device for mounting printing plates on rollers. By reason of the arrangement and construction of the several elements and their cooperation one relative to the other, the machining processes for fabricating these elements are .substantially facilitated, as is the installation of the several elements on a printing roller. The invention further provides means for adjusting the skew of a printing plate so that plates on two or more rollers can be accu rately aligned one with the others when used in a single printing operation, and for maintaining the tension on the printing plates substantially uniform throughout the printing operation. This compensates for any give in the plates and facilitates the attainment of uniform tension on severalgplates so that all will be subjected to uniform stress during the printing operation.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is apparent th-at modications, alterations and changes may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. -A printing roller for attachment of a peripheralA printing pl-ate, comprising a cylindrical roller member having a longitudinal channel in the surface thereof, printing plate holding means within said channel for engaging and holding said plate on the surface of the roller and single elongated camming means slidably disposed within said channel and extending substantially throughout the length of the roller, said camming means slidably engaging the walls of said channel and said holding means and said camming means having at least two sets of reversely acting portions and being longitudinally movable within said channel to adjust the angular skew position of the holding means relative to the axis of the roller.

2.'A printing roller for attachment of 'a peripheral printing plate, comprising a cylindrical roller member having a longitudinal channel in the surface thereof, printing plate `holding means within said channel for engaging and holding said plate on the surface of the roller and single elongated camming means within said channel and cooperating with the walls of said channel and said holding means, said camming means being longitudinally movable within said channel to adjust the angular skew position of the holding means relative to the axis of the roller, wherein said roller includes a spring loaded ratchet and pawl assembly coupled to said holding means for adjusting and automatically maintaining tension on said peripheral plate.

3. A printing roller comprising an elongated roller means having a channel extending lengthwise thereof, the sides of said channel diverging from the surface of the roller and terminating in undercut portions, elongated means of generally triangular configuration within said channel and engaging said undercut portions, the last said means further including a longitudinal channel of generally triangular configuration opening in the outer edge to receive the ends of a peripheral printing plate, a reel within the last said channel for receiving and holding said printing plate ends, an elongated cam within one of said undercut portions and having reversely curved surfaces thereon, and cooperating cam follower surfaces carried by at least one of the aforesaid means for angular adjustment of the elongated means relative to the roller means with longitudinal displacement of the cam.

4. A printing roller according to claim 3 wherein said elongated means includes a plurality of spring actuated means bearing against said reel.

5. A printing roller comprising an elongated roller having a channel extending lengthwise thereof, the sides of said channel diverging from the surface of the roller and terminating in undercut portions, elongated means of generally triangular configuration Within said channel and engaging said undercut portions, the last said means further including a longitudinal channel of generally triangular coniiguration opening in the outer edge to receive the ends of a peripheral printing plate, a reel within the last said channel for receiving and holding said printing plate ends, an elongated cam within one of the said undercut portions and having reversely curved surfaces thereon and cooperating cam follower surfaces carried by at least one of the aforesaid means for angular adjustment of the elongated means relative to the roller means with longitudinal displacement of the cam, said elongated means including a plurality of spring actuated means against said reel includes a longtiudinal slot for receiving said plate ends and upon rotation wedging said plate ends between the reel and an adjoining wall portion of said elongated means.

' 6. A printing roller comprising an elongated roller means having a channel extending lengthwise thereof, the sides of said channel diverging from the surface of the roller and terminating in undercut portions, elongated means of generally triangular configuration within said channel and engaging said undercut portions, the last said means further including a longitudinal channel of generally triangular configuration opening in the outer edge to receive the ends of a peripheral printing plate, a reel within the last said channel for receiving and holding said printing plate ends, and an elongated cam within one 0f said undercut portions and having reversely curved surfaces thereon, and cooperating cam follower surfaces carried by at least one of the aforesaid means for angular adjustment of the elongated means relative to the roller means with longitudinal displacement of the cam, said roller further including an adjustable spring loaded ratchet and pawl assembly coupled with said reel for adjusting and automatically maintaining uniform tension on said printing plate.

7. A printing roller comprising an elongated roller having a channelformed therein extending lengthwise thereof and opening into the roller surface, elongated means within the channel for holding at least one end of a printing plate to be secured to the periphery of the roller, spring means between one side of the said holding means and the channel for urging the holding means in one direction relative to the roller surface, said holding means having on its other side sets of spaced reversely inclined cam surfaces, a unitary elongated cam slidably disposed within said channel and having sets of spaced reversely inclined cam surfaces cooperating with the first said inclined surfaces and means for moving said cam relative to said holding means to adjust the angular position of the holding means relative to the axis of the roller whereby said holding means is provided in Iall skew positions with a plurality of spaced supports.

8. A printing roller for receiving and holding a peripheral printing plate comprising a cylindrical roller body having a channel formed in its surface and extending lengthwise thereof, plate holding means within said channel for receiving and holding the ends of the peripheral printing plate, said plate holding means further including means for applying tension to'said peripheral printing plate to secure it tightly about said roller body, said plate holding means further including reversely carried cam follower surfaces and a single elongated cam within said channel and movable axially of said roller, the last said cam engaging the cam follower surfaces at at least three spaced points for angularly adjusting the skew of said plate holding means relative to said roller. i

9. In a printing roller according to claim 8 wherein said plate holding means includes an elongated 'reel having a slot therein for receiving the ends of said printing plate, means for rotating said reel to secure the plate in position and tension controlling means coupled with the reel for maintaining substantially uniform tension on the plate.4

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS j 1,049,195 Banzett Dec. 31, 1912 1,521,665 Zarkin Jan. 6, 1925 1,730,122 Busk Oct. 1, 1929 1,827,300 Pritchard et al. Oct. 13, 1931 2,012,972 Osborn Sept. 3, 1935 2,123,997v Jirousek July 19, 1938 2,709,405 McWhorter May 31, 1955 2,732,798 Chase Jan. 31, 1956 2,775,198 Johnson et al. Dec. 25, 1956 2,820,409 Johnson Jan. 21, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 514,118 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1939 666,356 Great Britain Feb. 1 3, 1952 

